Oedipus Rex - Foolish but Wise

The process of studying the whole text was a long winding road. The fact that it was a translated version of Latin text had complicated the situations, where some of vocabulary used was hard to pronounce and not to the level of my understanding. Honestly I had quite a hard time digesting the text on my own, but thankfully it was explained in detailed in class, and that really helped me a lot in the process of comprehending the class.

The thing that I had learnt the most when studying this text would be the elements of fate or moira in humans’ life. All this while I understand that men could not challenge God’s power, but I’ve always believe that if we work hard on something, we can pursue the things that we want and it is very possible to change our fate. But studying this text had made me realized that men, although had control over actions, but can never divert away from the course of their own fate and destiny set still but God. This was vividly portrayed when every step that Oedipus take to uphold his name as the ruler of Thebes and his determination in finding out the truth had dragged him to his eternal doom.

The conflicts within Oedipus too had been an interesting to study. Was Oedipus a wise king? Or is he a foolish man? When every action that Oedipus decided to take to help find the murderer of Laios and the process of revealing the truth behind his identity, he had caused himself to fall badly in his face. Personally I pitied Oedipus, I see him as a wise king and a victim of fate where he had no control on it. I believe, if fate had found its way on you, no matter how you wish to avoid it, you can never runaway from it. One way or another, you would have to fulfill your fate. It is a road that God had laid for us, and we, as earthlings under their feet had no choice but to take it.

The elements of dramatic ironies also had attracted me to continue reading this text attentively despite of the hard time I’m having with the understanding of the text. Again, it stressed on Oedipus as being a wise king or a fool man. The notion of physically blind but having great insights of morality and spiritually portrayed by Teiresias was also an emphasis on dramatic ironies where it was greatly contrasted with Oedipus as having normal eye sight but blind to see the truth, and eventually end up as a blind beggar.

“The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves”. Are we the cause of our own actions? Or is it really fated for us to walk into our own fall? This question is a good question for us to ponder on. Are we supposed to play our cards around God’s will, or should we write our own destiny. No one knows, because none of us know our own future. Oedipus Rex had taught me to uphold Carpedium. I do not know what will happen to me tomorrow, just like the reversal of fortune that had fallen on Oedipus. I will treasure each and every moment that I have now, which I had now considered as bliss.